Fire-escape.



N'0 815,030. PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906.

J. P. McKENNA.

FIRE ESCAPE.

' APPLICATION FILED Nov; 2a, 1905.

JAMES P. McKENNA, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed November 28, 1906- Serial No. 289,474.

To aZZ whom it may concern.

'Be it known that I, JAMES P. MoKENN-A, acitizen of the -UnitedStates, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of-New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, to fire-escapes such as are constructed with pipes or rods which extend downward through the balconies of a building and are adapted to be grasped by a person who desires to slide down to the ground. Y I I Heretofore a fire-escape of the character indicated has been constructed by forming each of the balconies of the building .with an opening which is staggered with relation to the opening in the adjacentbalcony, so that a person can slidedown from one balcony to another and then takea different pipe or rod to convey him to the next lower balcony.

The principal object of the present invention is to improve the construction of a fireescape of the character described in suchmanner as to permit a person upon the roof of a building to slide down to the first or upper balcon or, if he desires to save time, to permit him to slide directly from the roof to the second balcony from the top before he is forced to transfer to the other pipe or rod in order to slide down to the thirdbalcony from thetop, and so on.

A further object of the invention is to form the lower ends of the pipes or rods in such manner as to slacken the speed of the person who is sliding down the rod, so as to permit 'him to drop easily to the ground when he has reached the lower balcony.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed as a practical embodie ment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a building equipped with afireescape constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper balcony. Fig. 3'is a similar View of the next lower balcony.

Like referencenumerals indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The reference-numeral 1 indicates a buildand construction. The building 1 is provided with'a plurality of balconies 2, 3, 4, and 5, which are constructed in any old'and well-known manner. is provided with a pair of'inclined steps 6, which lead downward to the next lower balescapes. The upper balcony 2 is formed with a pair of openings 7 and 8, and the next lower balcony 3 is formed with a similar pair of openings '9 10, which are staggered or offset with relations to the openings in the upper balcony 2. Each of the balconies 4 and 5 is alsoiformed with a pair of openings which are staggered or ofiset with relation to the openings in the adjacentbalconies.

The improved fire-escape is constructed with two pairs of parallel rods or pipes 11 12 and 13 14. Each of the rods or pipes is suitably connected with the roof of the building and extends upward in a curve over the forward edge of the roof, as is usual in fire-escapes. The pipes 12 and 14 extend downward through the openings 7 and 8 in the first balcony 2. Rods or pipes 11 and 13 extend directly through the upper or first balcony 2, and then through the openings 9 and 10 in the second balcony 3, and so on through the balconies 4 and 5. At their lower ends the pipes 11 12 and the pipes 13 14 are curved and joined together, as indicated at 16. It will be understood that each of the rods or pipes 11 12 and 13 14 is formed in theplurality of-sections, so as to facilitate their attachment to the diiferent balconies. The rods or pipes may be formed of brass'or other suitable material, and as said parts may be either solid, as in the case of rod-iron, or tubu- 13113.8 in the case of brass pipes, I shall use the term pipe in the following claims as meaning either a solid rod or a pipe, as may be desired.

In using the improved fire-escape a person on the roof ofthe building may slide down either of the pipes 11 12 or 13 14. If the person be daring, he'can slide down either the pipe 12 or the pipe 14, in which event he will be carried through the opening of the first balcony and will land on the second balcony after a direct descent from the roof. If the person be cautious, he can slide down either ing, which may be of any suitable size, form,

6o Each of the balconies cony, as is usual in the construction of the the pipe 11 or the pipe 13 in which event he will land first on the upper balcony 2, after which he will transfer to either the pipe 12 or the pipe 14 and will slide down to the second balcony 3. On the second balcony he will transfer again to either the pipe 11 or the pipe 13, which will lower him to the third balcony, and so on. By curving the two pipes together, as shown in the drawings, the momentum of a person sliding down from the third balcony 4 will be gradually broken as he reaches the lower end of the pipe, and he can then drop off to the ground.

It will be understood that two sets of pipes 11 12 and 13 14 are employed in order to permit a number of people to descend at the same time.

The improved fire-escape of this invention is strong, simple, durable, and inexpensive in construction, as well as thoroughly efiicient in use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination with a building having a plurality of balconies each formed with an opening staggered with relation to the opening in the next adjacent balcony, of a pair of parallel pipes curving over the edge of the roof and extending down through the balconies, one of said pipes passing through the opening of the first balcony so as to permit free descent from the roof to the second balcony, and the other pipe extending through a small opening in the first balcony and through a large 0 )ening in the second balcony, the two pipes being curved together and connected at their lower ends, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a building having a plurality of balconies and steps con necting said balconies, each of said balconies being provided with a pair of openings stag gered with relation to the openings of the next adjacent balcony, of two pair of parallel pipes curving over the edge of the roof and extending down through the balconies, one pipe of each pair passing through one of the openings of the first balcony so as to permit free descent from the roof to the second balcony, and the other pipe of each pair extending through a small opening in the first balcony and through a large opening in the second balcony, the two pipes of each pair being curved together and connected at their lower ends substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES P. MOKENNA.

Witnesses W. H. CRIoH'roN-CLARKE, H. G. Hosn. 

